Machine for equipping vehicle-wheels with rubber tires.



No. 7",.980. Patented 0ct..28, I902.

. A. 8. KROTZ.

MACHINE FUR EQUIPPING VEHICLE WHEELS WITH RUBBER TIRES.

(Application filed Aug. 3, 1901.) (No Model.) 3 Shae ts-Sheet N6. 7||,9a0. Patentedflct. 2a, 1902.

A. s. KROTZ.

MACHINE FOR EQUIPPING VEHICLE WHEELS WITH RUBBER TIRES.

(Application filed Aug. 8, 1901.)

- (No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

6mm Wai T E uuwzls m cm. PncrauT-m, WASHINGTON u c No. 7I|,980. Patented Oct. 28, I902.

A. S. KBOTZ.

MACHINE FOR EQUIPPING VEHICLE WHEELS WITH RUBBER TIRES.

' (Application filed Aug. 3, 1901. (No Model.) 3 Sheets-:Shaet 3.

W1 TNESSES lNI/gNTO *xmm mmm %Wm WM ls PzrtRs co, vumouwa. wAsmucro u, ufa

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALVARO S. KROTZ, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO CONSOLIDATED RUBBER TIRE COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORA- TION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR EQUIPPING VEHICLE-WHEELS WITH RUBBER TIRES SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 711,980, dated October 28, 1902. Application filed August 3, 1901. Serial No. 70,721. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern: wheels have channel-irons for holding the Be itknown thatI, ALVARO S. KROTZ, acitirubber tires, and I have shown two indezen of the United States, residing at Springpendent retaining wires as the preferable field, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, means of holding the rubber within the chan- 5 have invented certain new and useful Imnel-iron.

provements in Machines for Equipping Ve The post a can be supported in any suithicle-Wheels with Rubber Tires, of which the able manner by securing it to a wall or other following is a specification. convenient place. Secured to the upper part My invention relates to improvements in of this support co by bolts or otherwise is a lo machines for equipping vehicle-wheels with forwardly extending supporting piece a,

rubber tires. which is perforated to receive a clamp (t the In the use of machinery for applying rubspecific construction of said clamp being ber tires to the wheels of vehicles it is imporshown in Fig. 5. The lower portion of the taut that the rubber tire be applied properly. support a is provided with a series of perfo- 15 The difficulties in applying properly the rubrations to receive a similar clamp a I have her tire are due to the difierent sizes of rub' shown a plate I), attached to the upper part ber tires that have to be applied and the difof said support a, which plate is provided ferent kinds of rubber that are used in the with a block I), having an opening to receive construction of a rubber tire. the ends of the retainingwires heretofore 20 My object is to construct a simple and immentioned, and a set-screw b is used for seproved machine which can be used for applycurely holding said wires within said opening. ing properly rubber tires of different sizes by A projecting pin or trunnion b is for supan ordinary mechanic. porting the operating-lever c. In Fig. 6 I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is have shown the operating-lever provided with 25 a front View of the machine, showing the a bearing a for said trunnion b and also proparts in position for compressing the rubber. vided with a projecting pin 0 which is adapt- Fig. 2 is a view of a portion of the same, showed to engage any one of the series of perforaing the devices for tightening the wires. Fig. tions 0 in the bar 0 which is used as a part 3 is a front View of same, showing the device of the compressing mechanism. The clamp- 0 for closing the space between the ends of the ing-jaws d hold securely the retaining-wires rubber. Figs. 4: and 5 are details of the within the channel-iron and are formed in clamps. Fig. 6 is a detail view of a portion such manner that the notched holding-faces of the operating-lever, and Fig. 7 is a view of and pivoted tongue extend within the chanthe support therefor. Fig. 8 is a detail of a nel-iron and the jaw itself rests against the 35 part of the rubber-compressing mechanism. clamp a The jaws d and the jaw 01', here- Fig. 9 shows the guide-plate. Fig. 10 is a inafter described, are of the same construcside View of one of the clamping-jaws. Fig. tion, and each is provided with an enlarged 11 is a view of the clamp for clamping the slotted portion 01 which slotted portions are rubber to the channel. Fig. 12 is a plan view adapted to receive the tightening or tension 40 of a portion of the clamp. Fig. 13 is a detail screw 6, which will be more fully described view of the device for tightening the wires. hereinafter. 0 Like parts are represented by similar letters The operation of the machine as thus far of reference throughout the several views. described is as follows: The vehicle-wheel is In the drawings I have shown a vertical placed upon the support or post a, with a 45 supporting-post a; but it is readily underspoke of said wheel on the right side of the stood that the position of said post is not masupport a and with the rim of said wheel rest- 5 terial. ing upon the raised portions of said post and My machine is intended for applying rubclamped against the raised portions by the clamp a the folly of the wheel having been her tires to vehicle-wheels, the rims of which previously equipped with the channel-iron. One end of the rubber tire, with the retaining Wires inserted therein, is then placed in the channel, the ends of said retaining-wires projecting beyond the ends of the rubber tire. The endsof the wires are passed through the jaws of said clamp d a suitable distance for splicing. The ends of the wiresare. then scarfed on the upper sides thereof and the wires readilyturned until the flattened surfaces face the channel. One end of the rubher is clamped by the clamp a in such manner that the folly of the wheel is held securely against the upper end of the support a, the jaws of the band-holding device d being also held in position by said clamp, and by means of the two clamps a and a the wheel is securely supported by said post against movement in such manner that there is an open space between the wheel and the support for the more ready adjustment of the parts of the machine. The jaws dare clamped to the wires, as heretofore explained, by the ordinary use of a screw, such as shown in Fig. 10, (marked (1 The rubber tire is then placed around the Wheel within the channel and the other ends of the wires passed through the perforations in the block b on the plate b, drawn as tight as possible by hand, and then fastened in the hole by the set-screw b It is seldom that in the different sizes of rubber tires and with the different kinds of rubber and other constituent elements, such as the canvas ordinarily used at the bottom of the rubber, that the rubber is placed Within the channel in a manner to allow for the proper amount of compression. Very much dependson the care with which the operator of the machine adjusts the rubber tire within the channel-iron, and much depends upon the quality of the rubber that is used as to whether the rubber will be placed within the channel in a manner that will insure the ends of the rubber being fastened with the proper amount of compression in the rubber, it being understood that the length of the rubber is made greater than the periphery of the wheel in order to obtain a certain amount of compression. I have found that if the free end of the rubber tire extends so as to overlap the stationary end of the rubber tire, as shown in Fig. 1, the operator of the machine will be sure of obtaining the proper amount of compression. ber tire has not been fitted properly within the channel-iron, it would be necessary to pull or stretch the rubber tire until the free end of same overlaps, as shown in Fig. 1. A clampf (shown in detail in Fig. 11) is then employed for clamping the rubber tire firmly Within the channel of the wheel at a point some distance from the stationary jaw d, as shown in Fig. 1. Said clamp is provided with a slotted portion f so that it is only necessary to unloosen the nuts, and by swinging this upper portion around the clamp can readily be removed. The clamp d is then placed on the wires,

If for any reason the rub and the operating-lever c is connected to said jaws by means of the push-rod c. The clamp d is thus shown-to be supported by the wires and is slidingly mounted thereon. Before operating the lever c a guide-plate g, supported at one end in the channel and at the other on the jaws d,is used to prevent the rub her from sagging when the lever c is operated. In order to compress the rubber tire, the lever 0 is forced upwardly, sliding the jaws d on the wires to a point when the jaws d can be tightened against the retaining-wires, and the lever 0 can then be dropped down to engage another notch in said push-rod 0 such that the rubber canbe compressed further. By loosening the jaws of the clamp d and again operating the lever c the rubber tire can be compressed to a point depending on the Wishes of the operator. Having compressed the rubber sufficiently and tightened the jaws d, the wires can be released from the opening in the block b, or same may be cut at a point which will enable the operator to place the clamp d within the channel-iron in a position for tightening the wires. Before the wires are tightened the pulling-up wires h are placed around the rubber, between the clampf and the jaws d, in the manner shown in Fig. 2. The plate g is then removed and the rubber and jaws d pushed down into place within the channel. By means of the two screws e the jaws d d can be pulled together and the wires given the necessary amount of tension. The ends of the retaining-wires passing through the jaws of the clamp d can then be scarfed or filed on their upper sides to fit the ends of the opposite wires.

In operating the tightening devices for the .wires I have shown the nut (5*, which is operated on the screw-threaded portion of the bolt e, and the projecting portions e are adapted to engage with a portion of the jaw to keep said nut from turning, and the bolts are turned by means of a screw-driver or other suitable tool operating in the slotted ends of the heads e of said bolts. The ends of the wire are united in any suitable manner, preferably by brazing or welding, though the machine is more especially adapted for brazing. As soon as the wires are united the jaws are removed, the clamps a and a are loosened, and the wheel moved to the left so that the spoke will come on the left side of the support a, after which the clamps a and a are again tightened. The jaws dand d may then be removed. The wheel is then in position for closing the space between the ends of the rubber tire, and for this purpose I employ a curved pulling-up bar h, to which the flexible bars h are attached by clamping the free ends thereof under the nuts, as shown in Fig. 8. To the end of this pulling-up bar h is pivoted a bar h provided with a series of perforations h which bar extends in proximity to the operating-lever c, the projecting pin 0 of which is adapted to engage in the perforations 72,3 of said bar, and thus by operating said lever the ends of the rubber may be drawn together.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim 1. In a rubber-tire machine, the combina tion with the Wheel-support, with a lever on said support, stationary and movable handholding devices, a clamp to hold the Wheel stationary on said support, and means including push and pulling bars operated by the movement of said lever in one direction to compress the tire and by the movement of said lever in the opposite direction to pull the ends of the tire together in the Wheel-channel, substantially as specified.

2. In a rubber-tire machine, the combination with the wheel-support, with a lever on said support,stationary band-holding devices, a clamp to hold the Wheel on the support and said band-holding devices stationary with one end of the band and tire in place in the wheelchannel, of a block to hold the other end of said bands in aline tangent to the wheel-rim extending over said stationary band-holding devices, movable band-holding devices supported by bands on said tangent line, and means including push and pulling bars operated by the movement of said lever in one direction to compress the tire, and by the move ment of said lever in the opposite direction to pull the ends of the tire together in the wheel-channel, substantially as specified.

3. In a rubber-tire machine, the combination with the wheel-support having a lateral extension to carry the Wheel, a lever on said support, stationary band-holding devices, a clamp to hold the wheel on the support and said band-holdingdevices stationary with one end of the band and tire in place in the wheelchannel, of a block on said support to hold the other ends of the bands in a line tangent to the wheel-rim extending over said bandholding devices, movable band-holding devices supported by the bands on said tangent line and resting against the other end of said tire, a hand-lever and adjustable push-bar on said support to force said movable band-holding devices against the end of said tire to compress the tire, substantially as specified.

4. In a rubber-tire machine, the combination with the Wheel-support having a lateral extension to carry the Wheel, a lever on said support, stationary band-holding devices, a clamp to hold the Wheel on the support and said band-holding devices stationary with one end of the band and tire in place in the wheelchannel, of a block on said support to hold the other ends of the bands in aline tangent to the Wheel-rim extending over said handholding devices, movable baud-holding devices supported by the bands on said tangent line and resting against the other ends ofsaid tire, a tire-clamp on the wheel, a hand-lever and adjustable push-bar pivoted to said block to force said movable band-holding devices against the end of said tire to press the tire against said tire-clamp, and a guide-plate for said bands resting on said first-named handholding devices and the wheel-channel, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of July, A. D. 1901.

ALVARO S. KROTZ.

\Vitnesses:

OHAs. I. WELoH, CLIFTON P. GRANT. 

